GE celebrated the completion of a $60 million expansion of its Bucyrus, OH plant to manufacture energy-efficient fluorescent light bulbs.  When these lines are fully ramped up, 130 jobs will be created.

TVA's Renewable Standard Offer initiative will encourage more renewable development within the region by allowing developers to enter into long-term price contracts with TVA. This program is intended for projects that produce between 201 kilowatts and 20 megawatts of electricity, or too large for TVA's Generation Partners program. Generation Partners was developed for residential and small commercial customers that generate 200 kilowatts or less.

For the last three weeks, China has blocked shipments of rare-earth minerals to Japan, a move that has boosted the urgency of efforts to break Beijing's control of these minerals. China now produces nearly all of the world's supply of rare earths, which are crucial for a wide range of technologies, including hard drives, solar panels, and motors for hybrid vehicles.

A new report from the Wisconsin Sustainable Business Council, The Green Tier Program at the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, and the Wisconsin School of Business says that, in 2007, Wisconsin had 15,100 jobs considered part of the green economy, and 1,294 businesses considered green businesses.
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This course will build on the morning session on Venture Development Academy - Investor Ready Deals and discusses renewable energy ventures in greater detail.  While the energy sector represents tremendous opportunities, renewable energy projects and ventures face a unique set of challenges in coming out of the proverbial "valley of death."

The afternoon session will look at the drivers for energy markets and provide tools for validating deals from project site selection standpoint and policy issues.  The course allows entrepreneurs, economic developers and investors to assess venture risk in five key areas:  technology, market, management, finance and execution.   Attendees will be exposed to the Butterfly Model© of inter-organizational collaboration which provides a multi-stakeholder framework to deploy successful renewable energy and emerging technology projects.

Registration for the full conference is only $65 and includes all conference sessions and luncheon with keynote speaker Bill Rancic (winner of the first The Apprentice show) and a special breakfast presentation by Jim Barksdale.

To register on-line please click here or call 1-601-960-3610 for more information.

During an address to the Columbus Rotary Club, Dr. Sumesh Arora, director of the Mississippi Technology Alliance's Strategic Biomass Solutions program, presented a laundry list of current and pending circumstances which position Mississippi to become a hub of biomass production and research.  Columbus will get a piece of the action in the next few years as KiOR constructs its first of three Mississippi plants locally.  Arora said the presence of wood biomass, along with the "pro-business attitude" of the Mississippi Department of Environmental Quality, all converged to land Mississippi at No. 4 on Forbes Magazine's 2008 list of "America's Best Places for Alternative Energy."
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